Live bait container



Aug. 15, 1939. w. CAMPBELL 2,169,941

LIVE BAIT CONTAINER Filed May 16,1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 131 v m? BY 15 ATTORNEYS 15, 1939. w. CAMPBELL 2,169,941

LIVE BAIT CONTAINER Filed May 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m Z 0 W 6 4 0 W w w y M y M a f v, m I 7 4 aw. W g 5 E 4 (4 QW ocoooooooooa J x 2 M x p f N w mn vwonmoo M M M 0 MM a o 0 2 cm a; 5 2 U 00 000 0 0o T 3 I 000 000 000 2 4 000000000000 :1 0 d 000900000000 8 0 e/lz 00 4 v 5 WW 8 01m 5 INVENTOR BY Mu,

0 v HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to fishing equipment, and includes among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved live bait container.

An object of my invention is to provide a live 5 bait container which may be incorporated in a boat structure, in which the container is movably related to a well, and in which the container may be lowered to a position in the water beneath the boat bottom together with means for elevating the container in the wall and simultaneously draining water therefrom in such volume as to enable the fisherman to select a minnow for baiting purposes.

Another object is to provide a boat having a well in its bottom in which a minnow container is located inside the well and normally extending into the water beneath the boat bottom, thereby providing fresh water for the minnows and in which the container includes drainage means so as to partly empty the container as itis being elevated, thus leaving a shallow pool of water therein to facilitate selection of bait.

A further object is to provide a live bait container which may be movably related to a well in a boat bottom in which the container is normally positioned in the water underneath the boat bottom and provided with communication with such water and in which the communication is so located as to permit rowing or propelling of the boat in the usual manner without endangering the minnows in the container.

Another object is to provide a live bait container which may be located inside the boat and normally extending into the water beneath the boat bottom and in which the container may be elevated to facilitate selection of the bait in such manner as to prevent spilling of water in the boat or on the fisherman.

A further object is to provide a boat having a wheel for housing a minnow container movably therein in which novel means is incorporated for lowering or elevating the container and in which the container is detachably related to the well to permit transposition of the container from boat to boat or for bait loading purposes apart from association with the well. In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3 3 of Fi Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 44.of

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of v Fig. 3; and

6 is a sectional view along the line 6-6 of In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of a boat, a fragment of which is illustrated at H], which fragment comprises the boat bottom l2 and one side I4. The live bait container is indicated at It and is pref erably located midway between the side walls l4. Specifically, the live bait container l6 comprises a. well l8 made up of side walls 20, 22, 24 and 26 so related as to provide a right-angular configuration when viewed according to Fig. 1. Well I8 may comprise boards nailed or otherwise secured into a unitary structure, which structure is mounted on the botom l2. An opening 28 is provided in the bottom l2, which opening is of an area equal to the cross sectional area of the well I8. A water-tight joint 30 is provided between the well and the boat bottom to prevent leakage of water into the boat.

Inside the well I8 I mount a live bait container 32, which container may be moved upwardly and downwardly inside the well. Fig. 2 illustrates the normal position of the container, at which time it extends into the water underneath the boat bottom. The container 32 is formed of sheet metal and is open at its upper end. Two air chambers or floats 34 are located at opposite ends of the container or tank 32, which tanks lend buoyancy to the tank in such degree that when lowered it will take the normal position of Fig. 2. Tank 32 is provided with a partition 36 to provide chambers 38 and 40 for live bait of different sizes. Partition 32 comprises a metal sheet flanged and welded to the tank, as at 42,.

Tank 32 lies in closed relation with the walls 20 and 24, while the walls 22 and 26 are provided with upright cleats 44 which lie in slightly spaced relation vsnth the other walls of the tank. However, the tank moves freely inside the well.

To the bottom 46 of the tank 32 I connect two groups of grooved wheels 48 over which ropes 50 run, which ropes are each connected at one end to the wall 22 by a pressure plate 52. Screws 54 are anchored in the wall 22 and pass through openings in the plate 52 for the reception of wing nuts 56, which when tightened clamp the rope ends. Ropes 50 extend downwardly of the wall 22 between the spaced cleats 44 connected therewith, around the first group of wheels 48, across the bottom 46 of the tank, about the second group of wheels 48, and upwardly of the wall 26 between the cleats 44 connected therewith. Two

grooved wheels 58 are mounted on the wall 26 for guiding the ropes 50, which ropes are connected with a drum 60 rotatable through the medium of a crank HI. Drum 68 is rotatably mounted on a bracket 12 attached to the wall 26 by screws 74 and is provided with a ratchet wheel 16 which rotates with the drum and is arranged in holding relation with a pawl 18.

Drum 68 is preferably hollow as in Fig. 6, and is provided with openings 80 through which the ropes may be threaded. The ropes 50 comprise two runs of one piece, which piece is looped as at 82 for connection with the ring 84 which has abutting relation with one end of the sleeve. The flanges 86 of the brackets 12 constitute guides for the rope as it is being wound on the drum.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the ratchet wheel 76 and the pawl 18 are so related as to permit rotation of the crank 56 in a direction which elevates the container in the well, but will support the container in an elevated position. Pawl 78 is pivotally mounted at 88 to be manually shifted out of holding relation with the ratchet wheel as when the tank is to be lowered. The spaces between the two groups of cleats 44 provide drops for housing the vertical runs of the ropes 56, thus bringing the ropes out of contacting relation with the container. Cleats 44 are secured to their respective walls by screws 96.

To the lower ends of the walls 22 and 25 I connect horizontal cleats 92 by screws 94. These cleats are arranged in the path of right-angular flanges 96, which may be welded to the tank 32. Should the boat be elevated out of the water, the tank may drop inside the well but cannot fall therefrom because of the holding relation between the flanges 96 and the cleats 92.

The two side walls 98 of the tank 32 are perforated as at 506, which perforations extend down to about two inches from the tank bottom 46. The perforations are of such size and of such number as to quickly fill or empty the tank as it is being lowered or elevated. When elevated, the water flows from the tank through the perforaticns me, but since the perforations. terminate short of the bottom 46, the tank will contain a shallow pool of water, suflicient to protect the live bait in the tank, but of such depth as to render the selection of bait an easy matter. In providing the side walls only of the tank with perforations, forward or backward movement of the boat in the water does not agitate or cause violet circulation of the water in the tank, thus affording protection for the fish.

Fig. 2 illustrates the normal position of the tank when lowered, at which time the buoyancy of the air tanks or floats 34 float the tank and prevent further lowering. Because of the floating nature of the tank 32, the tank will always take the same position in the water as to depth, which position is determined by merely lowering the tank through the medium of the crank 10 until the rope 50 becomes slack. When submerged in this degree, the tank contains an ample supply of fresh water for maintaining fish life.

The tank 32 may be raised or lowered without spilling water in the boat, and when elevated the fish are brought within easy reach. Since the tank operates within the well 16, I eliminate the necessity for raising and lowering bait containers over the sides of the boat as is conventional practice. In addition, the container is housed inside the well so as to be protected from the rays of the sun. The tank need not be elevated during movement of the boat from place to place since the location of the perforations affords ample protection for the fish. I prefer to design the tank 32 with such buoyancy as to maintain its top about one and one-half inches above the water. Thus, I maintain a relatively large volume of water in the tank in addition to providing an ample supply of fresh water. The tank operates noiselessly inside the well.

Should it be necessary to transfer the tank to another boat or transport the tank inland, the ropes 50 are disconnected from the wall 22 by unscrewing the wing nuts 56, at which time the tank is free and may be moved from place to place. To the bottom 46 I connect legs I02, which balance the tank in an upright position when resting on the ground or other surface. The grooved wheels 48 are located centrally of the container, but the legs l02 are located at the four corners of the bottom 46. The brackets I04 which support the grooved wheels 48 are permanently connected with the bottom 46 as by welding.

To the wall 2G I connect a cover lfi'zl through the medium of hinges 558. The side walls iii} of the cover are recessed at I 12 to house the grooved wheels 58 and the thumb nuts 55 when the cover is closed. A suitable collapsible cover support I l 4 has its ends connected with the wall 22 and the cover for holding the cover in the open position of Fig. 3. The Walls Hil are also notched at H6 for accommodating the ropes 59. In Figs. 1 and 3, I illustrate the partition 35 as being provided with a handle H8 by which the tank 32 may be carried.

Well l6 may be water-proofed in the same manner as the boat and is so related thereto as to provide a water-tight condition,

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention that others may by applying current knowledge readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. In a boat including a bottom,

a well assosink partly in the water underneath the boat bottom, a flexible means extending underneath the container and upwardly of the well between certain of its walls and the container for raising lowering the latter, said walls b fa iionod with channel means for houein the means to prevent rubbing of the la r between the container and said walls, and manually controlled operating means connected with said flexible means.

2. In a boat including a bottom, a. well associated with the bottom, a live bait container movable vertically inside the well and arranged to sink partly in the water underneath the boat bot tom, a flexible means. extending underneath the container and upwardly of the well between certain of its walls and the container for raising and lowering the latter, spaced cleats extending vertically of two opposed walls of the well, said flexible means having runs lying in the spaces between the cleats, and said container being guided vertically by said cleats and by the other walls of the well.

3. In a boat including a bottom, a well associated with the bottom, a live bait container movable vertically inside the well and arranged to sink partly in the water underneath the boat bottom, a flexible means extending underneath the container and upwardly of the well between ments when the container is lowered a predetercertain of its walls and the container for raising and lowering the latter, spaced cleats extending vertically of two opposed walls of the well, said flexible means having runs lying in the spaces between the cleats, said container being guided vertically by said cleats and by the other walls of the well, one end of said flexible means being fixedly connected with the upper part of one wall and the other end passing about roller means at the top of the opposite wall, and manually actuated drum means connected with the said other end of the flexible means for winding up and unwinding the same to respectively raise and lower the container in the well.

4. In a boat including a bottom, a well associated with the bottom, a live bait container movable vertically inside the well and arranged to sink partly in the water underneath the boat bottom, a flexible means extending underneath the container and upwardly of the well between certain of its walls and the container for raising and lowering the latter, said walls being fashioned with channel means for housing the flexible means to prevent rubbing of the latter between the container and said walls, manually controlled operating means connected. with said flexible means, abutments inside the well near its bottom,

and companion abutments carried by the upper end of the container for engaging said first abutmined distance inside the well.

5. In a boat including a bottom, a well associated with the bottom, a live bait container movable vertically inside the well and arranged to sink partly in the water underneath the boat bottom, a flexible means extending underneath the container and upwardly of the well between certain of its walls and the container for raising and lowering the latter, spaced cleats extending vertically of two opposed walls of the well, said flexible means having runs lying in the spaces between the cleats, said container being guided vertically by said cleats and by the other walls of the well, one end of said flexible means being fixedly connected with the upper part of one wall and the other end passing about roller means at the top of the opposite wall, manually actuated drum means connected with the said other end of the flexible means for winding up and unwinding the same to respectively raise and lower the container in the well, said container being provided with roller means on its bottom for guiding the flexible means, the container being removable from the well through its bottom, and legs projecting downwardly of the bottom of the container for supporting the latter to bring the last-named roller means in the clear of a supporting surface.

WALTER CAMPBELL. 

